Hamburg

Hamburg (German: [ˈhambʊʁk] ⓘ, locally also [ˈhambʊɪ̯ç] ⓘ; <a href="/facts/Hamburg_German/GYamCHtp">Low Saxon</a>: Hamborg [ˈhambɔːç] ⓘ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Germany_by_population/zskUgyPk">second-largest city</a> in <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a> after <a href="/facts/Berlin/pMTIRNXK">Berlin</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_the_European_Union_by_population_within_city_limits/gJcIW7Ls">7th-largest</a> in the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a> with a population of over 1.9 million. The <a href="/facts/Hamburg_Metropolitan_Region/dGTmfb6T">Hamburg Metropolitan Region</a> has a population of over 5.1 million and is the <a href="/facts/List_of_EU_metropolitan_areas_by_GDP/PP4zc0YT">eighth-largest metropolitan region by GDP</a> in the European Union.
At the southern tip of the <a href="/facts/Jutland_Peninsula/4w9mDtLH">Jutland Peninsula</a>, Hamburg stands on the branching <a href="/facts/River_Elbe/nCfafNDq">River Elbe</a> at the head of a 110 km (68 mi) <a href="/facts/Estuary/WmkSInmK">estuary</a> to the <a href="/facts/North_Sea/htGJNmsb">North Sea</a>, on the mouth of the <a href="/facts/Alster/btKUDBWN">Alster</a> and <a href="/facts/Bille_(Elbe)/lXtD62u9">Bille</a>. Hamburg is one of Germany's three city-states alongside Berlin and <a href="/facts/Bremen_(state)/rcaNPaQU">Bremen</a>, and is surrounded by <a href="/facts/Schleswig-Holstein/FIFpSySG">Schleswig-Holstein</a> to the north and <a href="/facts/Lower_Saxony/fWt73Hu4">Lower Saxony</a> to the south. The <a href="/facts/Port_of_Hamburg/psmMPjzA">Port of Hamburg</a> is Germany's largest and Europe's <a href="/facts/List_of_busiest_ports_in_Europe/PzBmp0Hx">third-largest</a>, after <a href="/facts/Port_of_Rotterdam/gMYMDhqU">Rotterdam</a> and <a href="/facts/Port_of_Antwerp/v4rdoIVj">Antwerp</a>. The <a href="/facts/Hamburg_German/GYamCHtp">local dialect</a> is a variant of <a href="/facts/Low_Saxon/7sJ9GAgK">Low Saxon</a>.
The official name reflects <a href="/facts/History_of_Hamburg/aAfUj9Gw">Hamburg's history</a> as a member of the medieval <a href="/facts/Hanseatic_League/oA756xvs">Hanseatic League</a> and a <a href="/facts/Free_imperial_city/1IFRXHob">free imperial city</a> of the <a href="/facts/Holy_Roman_Empire/6mdobnXN">Holy Roman Empire</a>. Before the 1871 <a href="/facts/Unification_of_Germany/u0kyV3jW">unification of Germany</a>, it was a fully <a href="/facts/Sovereignty/QnYhTTem">sovereign</a> <a href="/facts/City_state/aj1EjbYy">city state</a>, and before 1919 formed a civic republic <a href="/facts/Constitutional_monarchy/C0TtVRq8">headed constitutionally</a> by a class of hereditary <a href="/facts/Grand_Burgher/jl4N2z7G">Grand Burghers</a> or <a href="/facts/Hanseaten_(class)/MeqS7UDF">Hanseaten</a>. Beset by disasters such as the <a href="/facts/Great_Fire_of_Hamburg/nX8T2gMN">Great Fire of Hamburg</a>, <a href="/facts/North_Sea_flood_of_1962/FMdY8GFC">North Sea flood of 1962</a> and military conflicts including <a href="/facts/Bombing_of_Hamburg_in_World_War_II/c4LYX16z">World War II bombing raids</a>, the city has managed to recover and emerge wealthier after each catastrophe.
Major regional broadcaster <a href="/facts/Norddeutscher_Rundfunk/BRsE2V1U">NDR</a>, the printing and publishing firm <a href="/facts/Gruner_%252B_Jahr/5gwpr8PF">Gruner + Jahr</a> and the newspapers <a href="/facts/Der_Spiegel/pjoz3IIF">Der Spiegel</a> and <a href="/facts/Die_Zeit/TwPh96a5">Die Zeit</a> are based in the city. Hamburg is the seat of Germany's oldest <a href="/facts/Hamburg_Stock_Exchange/q0opEzSp">stock exchange</a> and the <a href="/facts/List_of_oldest_banks_in_continuous_operation/NkwpEHVo">world's oldest merchant bank</a>, <a href="/facts/Berenberg_Bank/F0fCMbLo">Berenberg Bank</a>. Media, commercial, logistical, and industrial firms with significant locations in the city include multinationals <a href="/facts/Airbus/PSLf3cM8">Airbus</a>, <a href="/facts/Blohm_%252B_Voss/4vA6j4Lg">Blohm + Voss</a>, <a href="/facts/Aurubis/okVEBMIq">Aurubis</a>, <a href="/facts/Beiersdorf/EzYlm10J">Beiersdorf</a>, <a href="/facts/Lufthansa_Technik/TqUEB3UX">Lufthansa</a> and <a href="/facts/Unilever/9dnFaVFR">Unilever</a>. Hamburg is also a major European <a href="/facts/Education_in_Hamburg/TG9coR93">science, research, and education hub</a>, with several universities and institutions, including the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Laboratory <a href="/facts/DESY/rpquB3uR">DESY</a>. The city enjoys a very high quality of living, being ranked 28th in the 2024 Mercer Quality of Living Survey.
Hamburg hosts specialists in world economics and international law, including <a href="/facts/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Hamburg/bL94emDv">consular and diplomatic missions</a> such as the <a href="/facts/International_Tribunal_for_the_Law_of_the_Sea/EuCXy0Wc">International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea</a>, the <a href="/facts/EU-LAC_Foundation/34a0JPy3">EU-LAC Foundation</a>, and the <a href="/facts/UNESCO_Institute_for_Lifelong_Learning/7WLv01Bb">UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning</a>, multipartite international political conferences and summits such as <a href="/facts/Hamburg_Summit%3a_China_meets_Europe/wf52J0AE">Europe and China</a> and the <a href="/facts/2017_G20_Hamburg_summit/jS5pyMpt">G20</a>. Former German chancellors <a href="/facts/Helmut_Schmidt/05E6eRny">Helmut Schmidt</a> and <a href="/facts/Angela_Merkel/n7jjpybM">Angela Merkel</a> were both born in Hamburg. The former <a href="/facts/List_of_mayors_of_Hamburg/vYyAGRgf">Mayor of Hamburg</a>, <a href="/facts/Olaf_Scholz/m6WEvQjG">Olaf Scholz</a>, was chancellor from December 2021 until May 2025.
Hamburg is a major international and domestic tourist destination. The <a href="/facts/Speicherstadt/tKjWfdmN">Speicherstadt</a> and <a href="/facts/Kontorhaus_District/el1vPzdX">Kontorhausviertel</a> were declared <a href="/facts/World_Heritage_Site/6AbWWKV4">World Heritage Sites</a> by <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a> in 2015. Hamburg's rivers and canals are crossed by around 2,500 bridges, making it the city with the highest number of bridges in Europe, and with <a href="/facts/List_of_tallest_church_buildings/zpkKQm6H">5 of the world's 29 tallest churches standing in Hamburg</a>, it is also the city with the greatest number of churches surpassing 100 metres (330 ft) worldwide. Aside from its rich architectural heritage, the city is also home to notable cultural venues such as the <a href="/facts/Elbphilharmonie/j75nJqr1">Elbphilharmonie</a> and <a href="/facts/Laeiszhalle/PDmVHUuL">Laeiszhalle</a> concert halls. It gave birth to movements like <a href="/facts/Hamburger_Schule/A4U57oKb">Hamburger Schule</a> and paved the way for bands including <a href="/facts/The_Beatles_in_Hamburg/XCfx20tN">the Beatles</a>. Hamburg is also known for several <a href="/facts/List_of_theatres_in_Hamburg/fU6NAEpR">theatres</a> and a variety of musical shows. <a href="/facts/St._Pauli/X5JS27gp">St. Pauli</a>'s <a href="/facts/Reeperbahn/uMcJNIIv">Reeperbahn</a> is among the best-known European red light districts.

Hamburg open-in-new

Hamburg